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PARTLY FACETIOUS We're still struggling to deport illegal Afghans

PARTLY FACETIOUS We're still struggling to deport illegal Afghans

'The Americans have so much to learn.'
'You mean that a multipolar world is emerging, and the US is no longer the sole superpower?'
'No that they have learned – didn't Rubio say that during an interview way back in February or was it March?'
'They have already learned the concept of First Daughter, how to engage in effective propaganda – remember the by now debunked Russia-gate charge levelled by Hillary Clinton against Trump and…'
'Crooked Hillary is how Trump used to refer to her; but that is not what I was referring to when I said the Americans have much to learn from us.'
'How about using laws to arrest and detain those who criticize…'
'There are two differences: one our laws were recently enacted so PECA laws have enabled cases against those using modern means of communication, but the US invoked some centuries old law to detain aliens; and two the US has been deporting aliens, but we are still struggling to deport Afghans though one can see some changes there and…'
'Was that what you were referring to when you said…'
'No, I was actually referring to the publication of a letter purportedly written by Trump and sent to the deceased paedophile Jeffrey Epstein in the Wall Street Journal. In my book, while a handwriting expert can give you a high degree of probability that the letter was written by Trump, yet it cannot be conclusively proved because there must be experts who can forge someone's handwriting.'
'Hmmmm I haven't heard of such experts.'
'IF there are those who can forge the work of great masters, Monet and Van Gogh and…'
'I get your drift. So what is your point?'
'My point is that in our land we don't release letters we release audio tapes and on some occasions videotapes.'
'Which require forensic analysis.'
'As does handwriting but forensic experts are able to distinguish deletions and additions and…'
'I get it, but you know the letter is more than two decades old – a time when letter writing was the preferred method at the time, now of course with the revolution in communications…'
'Hey back off bozo.'
'Excuse me!'
'Members of our parliament continue to write letters, they clearly prefer it, Sadiq the Speaker sent a letter to the Election Commission, the Man Who Must Remain Nameless and Faceless wrote at least one open letter…'
'There you go, that's something the Americans can learn from us – open versus closed letters now If Trump had written an open…'
'Don't be facetious.'
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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Pakistan back in the game
Pakistan back in the game

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time6 minutes ago

  • Express Tribune

Pakistan back in the game

Listen to article When the US pulled the last batch of its troops from Afghanistan in August 2021, it was the end of what many believe was a costly and unwinnable war. For 20 years, the US and its allies spent trillions of dollars only to see the return of the Afghan Taliban, who were thrown out after the 9/11 attacks. The US involvement in Afghanistan brought Pakistan again in the spotlight as Washington needed Islamabad's help for its campaign in the neighbouring country. Despite the trust deficit, the successive US administrations had to work with Pakistan given its strategic location. But once the US was out of Afghanistan, relations with Pakistan started dwindling. It was almost the repeat of first Afghan Jihad when after the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan, the US left Pakistan in lurch. Washington imposed crippling economic sanctions on Pakistan, reinforcing fears that the US can never be a trustworthy partner. The situation again looked bleak when the US withdrew troops from Afghanistan. President Joe Biden, once a strong advocate of close ties with Pakistan, never spoke to any of the Pakistani PMs during his four-year term. There were hardly any high-level exchanges between the two sides. And when Donald Trump won the elections in November last year, there were many in Pakistan who were concerned that ties with the US would only get worse given Trump's America first policy. Second, unlike the past, Pakistan had little to offer to the US or the US had little interest in the region. There was near consensus among the experts that Trump 2.0 would further bolster its strategic partnership with India. Pakistan was nowhere to be seen a foreign policy priority of the Trump administration except in the realm of security and counterterrorism. But six months into Trump's presidency, all those predictions fell flat. Contrary to the forecast, Trump's presidency proved positive for Pakistan at least for now. It all began when Pakistan arrested and extradited to the US one of the masterminds of the Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul in August 2021. Thirteen American servicemen were among those killed in the deadly attack outside the Kabul Airport. Trump had, during his election campaign, promised to bring to justice those behind the bombing. Many here may not be aware of the fact that any fatality of an American serviceman has huge domestic implications. In the past, elections were won and lost on the body bags of American soldiers. Pakistan helped Trump fulfil his election promise. It was because of this reason that Trump had praised Pakistan in his maiden address to the US Congress. That initial Pakistan help led to revival of contacts at the level of intelligence agencies as well as at the political level. What brought the two countries even closer was the Indo-Pak conflict in May, following the Pahalgam attack. While Pakistan acknowledged the Trump Administration's positive role in brokering the ceasefire, India kept challenging the US claims. Pakistan, in order to make further inroads, nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his courageous leadership and peace efforts in the subcontinent. The unprecedented luncheon hosted by President Trump for Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir in the middle of the Iran-Israel war highlighted that Pakistan still remains a key player to be reckoned with. This upset India since it was trying to portray the Pakistan Army Chief as evil. But Trump seems to care a dam. This past weekend, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar at the State Department in a first structured meeting between the two sides in several years. The US Secretary of State praised Pakistan's efforts to counter terror and maintain regional stability, much to the dismay of New Delhi. While Dar was in Washington, the Army Chief was in Beijing holding meetings with senior Chinese civil and military authorities. This goes to show the delicate balance Pakistan is trying to maintain with big powers. Given Pakistan's vulnerabilities and so many other challenges, Islamabad seems to be playing its cards well.

Trump's distraction methods fall flat against Epstein uproar
Trump's distraction methods fall flat against Epstein uproar

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Trump's distraction methods fall flat against Epstein uproar

US President Donald Trump wears a 'Make America Great Again' (MAGA) hat as he attends the commencement ceremony at West Point Military Academy in West Point, New York, US, May 24, 2025. Photo: Reuters Listen to article President Donald Trump's super powers as a public figure have long included the ability to redirect, evade and deny. But the Republican's well-worn methods of changing the subject when a tough topic stings politically are not working as his White House fends off persistent unrest from his usually loyal base about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associates. Trump has scolded reporters, claimed ignorance and offered distractions in an effort to quash questions about Epstein and the suspicions still swirling around the disgraced financier's case years after his 2019 death in prison. The demand for answers has only grown. "For a president and an administration that's very good at controlling a narrative, this is one that's been harder," said Republican strategist Erin Maguire, a former Trump campaign spokeswoman. Also Read: Trump seeks to broker ceasefire in Thai-Cambodia border conflict Unlike political crises that dogged Trump's first term, including two impeachments and a probe into alleged campaign collusion with Russia, the people propelling the push for more transparency on Epstein have largely been his supporters, not his political foes. Trump has fed his base with conspiracy theories for years, including the false 'birther' claim that former President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. Trump's advisers fanned conspiracies about Epstein, too, only to declare them moot upon entering office. That has not gone over well with the president's right-leaning base, which has long believed the government was covering up Epstein's ties to the rich and powerful. "Donald Trump's been running a Ponzi scheme based on propaganda for the better part of a decade and it's finally catching up to him," said Geoff Duncan, a Republican former lieutenant governor of Georgia and Trump critic. "The far right element is just dug in. They're hell bent on getting this information out." The White House has dismissed reporting about Trump's ties to Epstein as "fake news," though it has acknowledged his name appears in documents related to the Epstein case. Trump and Epstein were friends for years before falling out. Read: At least 18 killed in Peru mountain bus crash "The only people who can't seem to shake this story from their one-track minds are the media and Democrats," said White House spokesman Harrison Fields. Before leaving for a trip to Scotland on Friday, the president again urged people to turn their attention elsewhere. "People should really focus on how well the country is doing," Trump told reporters, lamenting that scrutiny was not being given to others in Epstein's orbit. "They don't talk about them, they talk about me. I have nothing to do with the guy." The art of distraction Trump in recent weeks has employed a typical diversion playbook. He chastised a reporter for asking about Epstein in the White House Cabinet Room. He claimed in the Oval Office that he was not paying close attention to the issue. And, with help from Tulsi Gabbard, his director of national intelligence, he explosively accused Obama of treason for how he treated intelligence in 2016 about Russian interference in the US election. On Thursday Trump took his distraction tour to the Federal Reserve, where he tussled with Chair Jerome Powell about construction costs and pressed for lower interest rates. That, said Republican strategist Brad Todd, was more effective than focusing on Obama in 2016, which voters had already litigated by putting Trump back in office. "The Tulsi Gabbard look backward, I think, is not the way for them to pivot," Todd said, noting that Trump's trip to the Fed highlighted the issue of economic affordability and taking on a Washington institution. "If I was him I'd go to the Fed every day until rates are cut." Also Read: Israel kills 25 Palestinians, including 13 aid-seekers, since dawn Democrats have seized on Trump's efforts to move on, sensing a political weakness for the president and divisions in the Republican Party that they can exploit while their own political stock is low in the wake of last year's drubbing at the polls. A Reuters/Ipsos poll this month showed most Americans think Trump's administration is hiding information about Epstein, creating an opportunity for Democrats to press. Trump's supporters and many Democrats are eager to see a release of government files related to Epstein and his case, which the Justice Department initially promised to deliver. "Yesterday was another example of the Trump folks trying to throw as much stuff against the wall to avoid the Epstein files," Mark Warner, a Democratic US senator from Virginia, said in a post on X on Thursday about Gabbard's accusations against Obama. Trump allies see the administration's efforts to change topic as a normal part of an all-out-there strategy. "They are always going at 100 miles an hour. Every department, every cabinet secretary, everybody is out there at full speed blanketing the area with news," Republican strategist Maguire said. Trump has weathered tougher periods before, and his conservative base, despite its frustration over the files, is largely pleased with Trump's work on immigration and the economy. In a July Reuters/Ipsos poll, 56% of Republican respondents favored the administration's immigration workplace raids, while 24% were opposed and 20% unsure. Pollster Frank Luntz noted that Trump had faced felony convictions and other criminal charges but still won re-election last year. "We've been in this very same situation several times before and he has escaped every time," Luntz said.

Trump says Thailand and Cambodia agree to hold immediate ceasefire talks
Trump says Thailand and Cambodia agree to hold immediate ceasefire talks

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Trump says Thailand and Cambodia agree to hold immediate ceasefire talks

SISAKET: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand had agreed to meet immediately to quickly work out a ceasefire, as he sought to broker peace after three days of fighting along their border. In a series of social media posts during a visit to Scotland, Trump said he had spoken to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand's acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, and warned them that he would not make trade deals with either of the Southeast Asian governments if the border conflict continued. 'Both Parties are looking for an immediate Ceasefire and Peace,' Trump wrote as he gave a blow-by-blow account of his diplomatic efforts. Before Trump spoke to the two leaders, clashes on the Thai-Cambodian border persisted into a third day and new flashpoints emerged on Saturday as both sides said they had acted in self-defense in the border dispute and called on the other to cease fighting and start negotiations. More than 30 people have been killed and more than 130,000 people displaced in the worst fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours in 13 years. There were clashes early on Saturday, both sides said, in the neighbouring Thai coastal province of Trat and Cambodia's Pursat Province, a new front more than 100 km (60 miles) from other conflict points along the long-contested border. China says it is 'deeply concerned' over Thailand-Cambodia clash The two countries have faced off since the killing of a Cambodian soldier late in May during a brief skirmish. Troops on both sides of the border were reinforced amid a full-blown diplomatic crisis that brought Thailand's fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse. As of Saturday, Thailand said seven soldiers and 13 civilians had been killed in the clashes, while in Cambodia five soldiers and eight civilians had been killed, said Defense Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata. 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Samrong Khamduang said she left her farm, about 10 km from the border, when fighting broke out on Thursday. The 51-year-old's husband stayed behind to look after livestock. 'We got so scared with the sound of artillery,' she said. 'But my husband stayed back and now we lost the connection. I couldn't call him. I don't know what is happening back there.' In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the chair of the ASEAN regional bloc, said he would continue to push a ceasefire proposal. Cambodia has backed Anwar's plan, while Thailand has said it agreed with it in principle. Thailand F-16 jet bombs Cambodian targets as border clash escalates 'There is still some exchange of fire,' Anwar said, according to state news agency Bernama. He said he had asked his foreign minister 'to liaise with the respective foreign ministries and, if possible, I will continue engaging with them myself – at least to halt the fighting'. Security council meeting Thailand's ambassador to the United Nations told a Security Council meeting on Friday that soldiers had been injured by newly planted land mines in Thai territory on two occasions since mid-July - claims Cambodia has strongly denied - and said Cambodia had then launched attacks on Thursday morning. 'Thailand urges Cambodia to immediately cease all hostilities and acts of aggression, and resume dialogue in good faith,' Cherdchai Chaivaivid told the council in remarks released to media. Cambodia's defense ministry said Thailand had launched 'a deliberate, unprovoked, and unlawful military attack' and was mobilizing troops and military equipment on the border. 'These deliberate military preparations reveal Thailand's intent to expand its aggression and further violate Cambodia's sovereignty,' the ministry said in a statement on Saturday. 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